


The Tilt-a-Whirl of Life

by VaderzGirl



Series: Welcome to the Carnival (Discord W-T prompt) [3]
Category: The Wayhaven Chronicles (Interactive Fiction)
Genre: F/M, Gen, discord prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-11
Updated: 2019-02-11
Packaged: 2019-10-26 04:03:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17738672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VaderzGirl/pseuds/VaderzGirl
Summary: Picking up where "Carnival Carnage" left off, the detective and Unit Bravo get a reminder of the problems at the carnival.





	The Tilt-a-Whirl of Life

**_The Tilt-a-Whirl of Life_**  
  
Felix turned his gaze from the crowd once Mason and Dezh disappeared from sight, just in time to hear yet another loud ding. Rolling his eyes, he let out a loud sigh. Of course, Adam _had_ to try the stupid game.  
  
“That had nothing to do with strength,” Adam announced, tossing the hammer to the ground with a sneer. “If you hit it square on that pad—”  
  
“It doesn’t matter,” Nate interrupted. “You need to stop. This was supposed to be a fun night out, not more of you two bickering.”  
  
“ _I_ need to stop? She needs to learn her limits. She can’t win all the time.”  
  
Rolling his eyes again, Felix ignored them both and quickened his pace to put some distance between them. He wondered, with a small smile, if Lily was still at that caramel apple booth. Though he’d liked the treat, he’d liked the one selling it even better. His eyes went back to Nate and Adam, who were still deep in conversation. Grinning, he walked right into a crowd of people. They’d never miss him.  
  
                                                                       *  
  
Yawning, Felix glanced over at Nate and Adam while they waited. The team leader looked annoyed, likely because more than half an hour had passed since Mason and Dezh had disappeared. Or, maybe, it was because he had yet to really beat the detective at one of these carnival games. In all honesty, he didn’t really care. Had Felix known they’d be this late, he’d have still been talking to Lily. His lips curled into a small smile—she was adorable. The question was, how could he get away from everyone to see her without them finding out? Maybe Dezh would help him.  
  
“There they are.”  
  
Adam’s voice drew Felix’s attention, and he turned just in time to catch Dezh and Mason as they neared. A snicker escaped him when he got a good look at the detective. “Your hair’s messed up and you’re all flushed.” Tilting his head, he eyed her cheeks and lips. Nope, that wasn’t all flush. “You have beard burn.”  
  
“What?” she snapped, practically snarling at him. “What the fuck is beard burn?”  
  
Mason snorted, but Felix ignored him. “Mason has stubble…”  
  
Her hand shot up to her mouth, then to her face. And neck. So she knew what it was, if not what it was called. After a moment, she dropped her hand and shrugged.  
  
Did she really think he’d let it drop? He moved closer to her, his lips curling into a grin. “So, what did you _ride_?” It didn’t make her blush, but her smile grew wider. “Given that smile, it must’ve been—”  
  
“Felix.”  
  
The young vampire grunted. Nate always had to ruin his fun.  
  
“Here.” Dezh shoved something at him—a white paper cone, atop which sat big ball of pink fluff. “It’s cotton candy.”  
  
Felix pushed a toy at her, to free one hand. “Carry your wolf so I can eat.”  
  
“You’re keeping that thing?” Mason sneered, rolling his eyes when she nodded. “You look ridiculous.”  
  
“Bite me,” she growled.  
  
Mason just tilted his head and smirked at her. “Where ya’ want it this time?”  
  
_This_ time? Felix’s eyes widened as Dezh’s scowl twisted into a mirror image of Mason’s smirk.  
  
“Are you two done?” All eyes turned to the team leader, who just shook his head. “We should get moving. And keep an eye out for anything amiss.”  
  
“Some of the rides look fun,” Nate said with a smile. “Maybe we can try a few of them.”  
  
“Whatever Dezh just rode must’ve been—ow!” Felix turned his head to glare at Dezh, who pretended not to notice. But he knew it had been her bony little fist that struck his arm. If she was that defensive about whatever had happened between her and Mason, he _definitely_ had to get her to talk. Good thing he had the key to her treasure trove of secrets—tequila. Lots and lots of tequila. Or whiskey. When they finally left this place, he’d suggest taking her drinking. She never said no to that.  
  
As they walked, a companionable silence fell between them. The only real sound was that of Felix eating the big ball of pink fluff. It was like eating sugary air. With miniscule shards of glass mixed in. And it was seriously sticky. He didn’t really care for it, but kept eating it, anyway.  
  
“You have it all over your face,” Dezh said with a snort, bumping him with her shoulder.  
  
Felix looked over at her with a grin. “It’s hard to eat it and not wear it. Is there anything in it but sugar?”  
  
“Leprechauns.” He did a double take at her serious expression. Then, suddenly, she barked a loud laugh. “You should see your face.”  
  
“I see it quite often,” he responded with a smile. “Every time I pass a mirror.”  
  
Dezh rolled her eyes and Mason let out a groan, but they kept walking. Where Nate intended to lead them was a mystery, at least until they neared some ride with a bunch of two-seater cars attached to each other. Or was it some kind of boat?  
  
“Uh, Nate,” Dezh began, sounding strangely hesitant, “we can’t—”  
  
“I told you two not to come back here!”  
  
Felix’s gaze went to the ride attendant, then followed the finger he pointed right to Mason and Dezh. “Oh, this just gets better and better.”  
  
“We can’t ride this,” Dezh said, coughing to hide the laugh that was all-too-obvious. Her hand shot to her mouth, but did a poor job of covering her amused smirk.  
  
“What did you two do?” Nate asked, his mouth twisting in horror. The only responses he received were two almost identical smirks. “It’s a children’s ride!” Shaking his head, he gestured toward the next ride. Another thing with two-person cars. “We’ll ride—”  
  
“Yeah,” Dezh interrupted, “we can’t get on that either. Or the rollercoaster. The Ferris Wheel.”  
  
Mason snickered, a self-satisfied smirk on his lips.  
  
“How about the Sky Screamer?” When Dezh exchanged a look with Mason, then shook her head, Felix’s jaw nearly dropped. “It’s twenty-four stories up in the air!”  
  
“That wasn’t why she was screaming,” Mason snorted, laughing out loud when she shot him a death glare.  
  
Nate sighed. “Is there anything you haven’t been banned from riding?”  
  
“The Log Flume.”  
  
“Didn’t make it that far?” Felix jibed, flashing the detective a grin.  
  
“They’re one person per seat. What’s the fucking point?”  
  
                                                                         *  
  
The Log Flume was boring. The Whip and The Twist had been a lot of fun, though Nate and Adam had refused to get on either of them. Now they were trying to find the Tilt-a-Whirl, which Dezh described as a chaotic mess that would leave you laughing or wanting to puke. Possibly both. Mostly likely, the two scrooges wouldn’t ride that, either.  
  
“Can I pet your wolf?”  
  
Felix turned toward the squeaky voice and found a very young girl peering through long lashes up at the detective. She was a supernatural, as was her father, and they both smelled strongly of despair. The scent was so intense, it nearly choked him. Dezh eyed her for a moment before nodding and squatting down so the kid could reach the stuffed animal.  
  
The girl reached out and placed her hand on the stuffed wolf’s nose ever so gently. “What’s his name?”  
  
“He doesn’t have one yet,” the detective answered gruffly. “I…” She trailed off when the girl started coughing and her veil suddenly slipped, showing a pair of pointed ears and enormous sky-blue eyes. Dezh showed no reaction at all, and her tone was uncharacteristically mild when she asked, “You all right, kiddo?”  
  
The girl’s father stepped forward, placing his hand on his daughter’s shoulder. “Jade’s fine, she just started that today. I think it must be allergies. Or a cold, maybe.”  
  
“Is this the first night you two have visited the carnival?” Nate prompted with a smile.  
  
“We were here last night, too.” Though the man laughed, Felix sensed the sadness behind it. “We’re from the city and she’s been begging me to bring her here ever since she heard about it.” He dropped his voice, the anguish in his tone much too strong. “Since her mother passed…”  
  
“All the girls in my class came here together a few days ago,” the child said with a sniffle, “so I begged Poppy to bring me.”  
  
The young vampire’s gaze drifted to the detective when he felt a surge of emotion from her. “You know,” she told the girl quietly, gesturing to the toy in her arm, “I think this guy needs a better home than I can give him. You want to take him with you?”  
  
“B-but he’s yours.” Jade’s blue eyes grew wider. “And he’s so pretty!”  
  
“I want you to have him.” Dezh glanced up at the girl’s father and waited for his nod of approval before pushing the toy into the little girl’s arms. “He’s yours.”  
  
The little girl’s delicate features crumpled just a bit. “But you’ll be lonely.”  
  
Dezh visibly tensed for a moment, a strong wave of pain bursting from her and washing over him. Felix nearly winced, but it was gone as quickly as it had come. When she spoke, her voice was unnaturally even. “I have a wolf already. His name’s Kai.” Reaching into one of her pockets, the detective pulled out a leather cord. He had to move closer to see the silver bauble that dangled from it—a crescent moon pendant, inside of which sat a howling wolf. “See?”  
  
Jade touched the trinket with a single finger, as if it were the most precious thing in the world. “Where’d you get it?”  
  
After a slight hesitation, Dezh answered, “A friend. He, um”—her voice hitched ever so slightly—“he was with me when I met a _real_ wolf whose name was Kai.” A real wolf? Felix decided he’d have to ask about that later.  
  
The little girl looked impressed and hugged her new stuffed wolf tightly. “Can I name him Kai? Like yours?” When Dezh nodded, Jade practically beamed at her. “It’s like we’re friends ‘cuz of them.”  
  
Again, Dezh nodded, then got to her feet. “Take her home so she can rest,” she told the man in a serious tone. “If she’s still coughing tomorrow, take her to the doctor.”  
  
The man paled. “Is something—”  
  
“Better safe than sorry,” the detective interrupted. “Kids are germ factories, and this place is crawling with them.”  
  
“Thank you. Thank the nice lady for the toy, Jade.”  
  
The little girl threw her arms around Dezh’s waist. For a second, the woman just froze, her hands moving awkwardly, as though she had no clue what to do. Felix nearly laughed—that was what she’d done the first few times he’d hugged her. Finally, she reached down and patted the girl’s back.  
  
She looked far more comfortable when father and daughter walked away, but her features were etched with concern.  
  
“Her cough isn’t necessarily indicative of the illness,” Adam said softly. “As you stated, children are… germ factories.”  
  
A slight smile came to her lips and she gave a terse nod.  
  
Frowning, Felix glanced at Adam. The team leader hadn’t exactly lied—they really had no way of knowing yet if the little girl was infected with the quickly spreading disease or not—but the possibility was there. And, no matter how they tried to convince themselves otherwise, they all knew it.  
  


**Author's Note:**

> This is a very late response to the Angst-Carnival prompt on the Wayhaven-Talk Discord server.


End file.
